Both Parties to Complete Primary Candidate Registration by the 15th
Democratic Party to Confirm Candidate on the 27th, People Power Party on the 29th
The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party will complete the registration of presidential primary candidates by the 15th and begin the official primaries from the 16th. If there is no runoff vote, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate is expected to be confirmed on the 27th, and the People Power Party's on the 29th.
According to the Democratic Party's Central Election Commission on the 15th, the party will accept registration applications for the 21st presidential election primary candidates from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Candidates will start the primary schedule beginning with the Fair Election Agreement Ceremony on the 16th. The Democratic Party primary is likely to be a three-way race among former party leader Lee Jae-myung, former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, and Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon.
The candidates will proceed with the first primary in the Chungcheong region from the 16th to the 19th, the second primary in the Yeongnam region from the 17th to the 20th, the third primary in the Honam region from the 23rd to the 26th, and the fourth primary in the Seoul metropolitan area, Gangwon, and Jeju from the 24th to the 27th. The general electorate voting will take place over two days between the 16th and 27th. The final candidate will be confirmed on the 27th. However, if no candidate receives a majority, a runoff vote will be held, and the candidate will be decided on the 1st of next month.
The People Power Party has added a vision conference to the presidential primary schedule and plans to hold two first-round primary debates. The People Power Party will accept preliminary candidate registration applications until the 15th. As of the morning of that day, the declared People Power Party presidential candidates include former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo, Assemblywoman Na Kyung-won, Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, and former Assemblywoman Yang Hyang-ja.
The People Power Party Election Commission will conduct document screening on the 16th for preliminary candidates to eliminate those who are ineligible and confirm the candidates advancing to the first primary. In the first primary on the 22nd, four candidates will be selected based on 100% general public opinion polls, and the second primary on the 29th will reflect 50% party member votes and 50% general public opinion polls. If a candidate secures a majority, they will be confirmed as the nominee; if a runoff vote is necessary, the final presidential candidate will be decided on May 3rd.
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